. >> reporter: his remarks came one day after house speaker john boehner announced the talks were stalled. >> well, this isn't a progress report, because there's no progress to report. >> reporter: his democratic counterpart, nancy pelosi, blames boehner for the stalemate. >> what they offered in return was an empty letter, lacking in specifics. >> reporter: such is the state of negotiations 23 days before the deadline, when federal income tax rates will revert to higher clinton era levels, 2% payroll tax cuts will expire, and long-term unemployment benefits will dry up for over 2 million americans who have been out of work for six months or more. on saturday, boehner did not allow a compromise on tax hike for top earners, somewhere between today's 35% rate and the clinton era's 39.6%. >> there are a lot of things that are possible, but to put the revenue to the president seeks on the table. >> reporter: even if the two sides are making progress behind the scenes, no one expects them to admit it until the last minute. but the office of management and budget has asked federal agencies for